Gone
by Blagrish
Summary: Mortal AU. Percy's has all the money and power in the world, but he's lost almost everyone close to him. This is a continuation to one of my other stories. Percabeth stuff in here.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This idea just popped in my head and wouldn't go away. I'm still debating water I should connect this to _I Always Do_ , because I really did like that AU. I'll still add on to my other story. **

* * *

I walked through the doors of the lobby's main entrance, trailed by my assistant. "Can you tell me what I have to do today, Denise?" I asked as I pressed the button for the executive elevator.

"Sure, Mr. Jackson."

"Sweetheart, what did I tell you about calling me that?"

"You told me to call you Percy," she responded with her head down.

"And?" I raised my eyebrows as we stepped into the elevator.

"That just because you're the CEO of Trident Inc. doesn't mean you don't have a first name." I smiled and patted her on the back. "Exactly! Now, carry on." God, she could be so incompetent sometimes.

"Okay... Percy. You have lunch with Mr. Grace and his sister at 12:30." I nodded to show I was listening and she continued, "And a meeting at 4:00 with Chase Arch-"

Pressing my finger against her lips, I scowled at her. "What did I tell you?"

"We're doing business with them, you're going to have to-"

"Shhhh."

"But I-"

"Shhhhh. Answer the question."

Denise nodded her head and looked back down. "You told me never to say her name in your presence... But you do know you're going to see her today, right?"

"Isn't there another architecture firm we can go to?" I really did not want to deal with the she-devil that was their CEO.

"There is, but you can't beat Cha- that firm's quality."

The elevator opened up and I stepped into my office, overlooking Los Angeles. To be honest, I preferred New York City over LA, but I went where the business took me and ended up here. "They better build us one hell of a building if I have to put up with her." Denise's feet shuffled behind me and she appeared by my side.

"If I may ask, why do the two of you dislike each other?" Denise asked hesitantly.

I pursed my lips and pushed away the memories. "Previous complications." She folded her hands together and looked down at her feet, not pursuing the topic. She was an idiot but at least she knew when to stop talking.

* * *

"You're meeting with him today, just so you know." Piper walked next to me, holding out cups of coffee.

"Please don't remind me, Piper. I'd rather not focus on him."

"Annabeth, it happened years ago, why do you still care?"

I stopped and bit my lip. "I would be able to move on if he didn't become a complete asshole!"

"If you plan on doing business with him, you're going to have to somewhat get along." I really did hate it when she was right. "He'll be at the firm at 4:00, in case you forgot."

"How could I forget?" I said, pushing back a hair that had fallen in front of my eyes.

"Are you going to be okay?" Piper put her hand on my shoulder.

 _No_

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

* * *

"How do I look?" I asked, running my hand through my hair. Nico gave me a once over and pulled up in front of the building. "You look fine. Why are you asking?" I slouched back against the car seat, examining my hair in the rear view mirror.

"I don't even know why I'm stressing about this. It's just a meeting," I said to myself. What was wrong with me?

"Maybe because the last time you saw her didn't end so well," Nico shrugged, "but that's just what I think."

"It was a rhetorical question."

"No it wasn't."

"Yeah, it wasn't." I seriously couldn't win an argument against that guy. It's like he stared into your soul and already knew everything about you.

"Dude, just relax. Now get out of the car so I can park already." I stepped out of the car and waved as he drove away.

Let's get this over with.

After walking through the rotating doors, I was greeted by cheerful, red-haired girl. She held out her hand to me and smiled. "I'm Rachel. You must be Mr. Jackson." I lifted her hand and kissed it, grinning at her. "Please, call me Percy."

Her face turned as red as her hair and she smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles on her dress. "Of course, Percy. Let me take you to Ms. Chase's office."

 _Nope. I can't do this._

Despite my brain's complete shutdown, I found myself following what's-her-name to Annabeth's office.

 _Stop following her and run while you can, you idiot!_

We stopped in front of a glass set of double doors, and there she sat on the other side behind her desk. "Here we are, Percy." That red haired girl pushed the door open, motoining for me to go in.

I walked in to the large office and turned back to her and winked. "Thanks." She blushed again and began to close the door. "No problem," she said through giggles.

"Real classy, Jackson." The sound of her voice made all the hairs on my neck stand on end. "Flirting with my secretary right in front of me? I see you haven't changed much." She nodded towards a chair in front of her desk. "Have a seat."

"I would say it's good to see you again, Annabeth, but unfortunately, it isn't."

 _A little uncalled for._

"The feeling's mutual, Percy. Now are we going to discuss business or are we going to argue for the next hour?"

Even though I hated her guts, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. She'd matured well and looked like a civilized business woman. I on the other hand still looked like an inexperienced young adult who was in over his head.

She cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows. "Hello? Anybody in there?"

"Yeah, sorry. I zoned out for a little bit." I sat down in front of the desk and crossed my arms. "So what've you got for me, Wise Girl?"

Annabeth froze at the mention of her old nickname, then quickly regained her composure. "We read up on your requests and I came up with this." Pulling open a drawer in her desk, she brought out a folder and handed it to me. I opened the folder and studied the sketches and drawings. "Annabeth, these are amazing! You did a great job," I said, looking back up at her.

 _She's smiling! Say something to make her hate you!_

"Thanks, Percy. If you like that design, we can come make model of it to show you something a little more concrete."

"That'd be awesome."

 _Was that supposed to make her hate you?_

"Well, let's get to the boring part and discuss the cost of the project and all that." She began to pull out a binder when I stopped her. "How about we make the boring part a little more interesting by discussing it over dinner?"

 _Are you insane? Stop! Make her say no! Say you were kidding!_

Annabeth laughed a little, making me feel a little... disappointed? What the hell was happening? "Are you asking me on a date, Percy?"

"No! Think of it as a meeting." Yeah, that's what it was: a meeting.

"Sure. I don't see why not," she said. "Where are we going?"

"Since I am your client, it's your job to take me places. You decide," I replied.

"I know a great restaurant down the street if you want to go right now."

"Now's a good time for me," I said, getting a little too excited.

 _What did you get yourself into? You know you can't do this!_

"Then let's go." Annabeth smiled and walked to her office door.

* * *

We sat down at a table in the back of the restaurant. He even was nice enough to pull out my chair for me when we first walked in. Dinner went by with a few jokes here and there and embarrassing memories, mostly brought up by me. Percy was always the one to do the most stupid things.

I sighed and leaned back into my chair. "What happened to us, Percy? How did we just lose it?"

He paused and wiped his mouth. "I don't know. I guess it was just out jobs and all that got in the way."

"Right now, it feels like I'm talking to the old Percy." I reached out and held his hand. "You know, the Percy that would sing to me through the phone when I couldn't sleep. Or the Percy that came to my apartment in the middle of the night to kill a spider because no one else was home but me. You were so... nice."

For a moment, it looked like there was softness in his eyes, but it quickly left and he pulled his hand away. "Well, that Percy had to learn that being nice doesn't really get you anywhere."

"Is that why you pushed me away? Is that why pushed all your friends away?"

"Annabeth, it's not like that..."

I gave him time to explain and he didn't, so I pushed out my chair out and got up. "Meeting's over. I'll call you when the plans are finalized." He stared blankly at his plate, the sparkle in his eyes long gone, replaced by a dull haze.

"What happened to _you_?" I sighed and began to walk away. "Goodbye, Percy."

* * *

 _I let her go. I just let her get up and go. Well, it's not the first time, so I'll just have to get used to it._

I smiled halfheartedly at the waiter as I asked for the check.

 _Was it really worth it? Is all of this even worth it? The one friend I have is Nico and he's my cousin. The only relationship I have with Thalia and Jason is through business. And Annabeth... she doesn't even want anything to do with me, well, this me. The answer's no, but it's already too late._

* * *

Piper waved at me as I stepped into the building. I waved back weakly and rushed to the elevator, not wanting to talk to anyone. Before the elevator could close, Piper stepped in with me. "How'd your little date with Percy go?"

"Not now, Piper," I said, quietly.

"What happened?"

"He's distant as always." I closed my eyes and leaned up against the wall, feeling drained.

"He didn't look distant when you two were waking out of here." Piper nudged me on the shoulder in an effort to cheer me up.

"I caught a glimpse of the old him for a little bit and I thought I could bring him back, but he shut me out."

I felt her arm wrap around me and she rubbed my back. "I'm sorry it didn't work out, Annabeth."

"Don't be. He probably isn't."

* * *

 **A/N: Draaaaammmmmmaaaaaa! But anyways, feel free to tell me if I should link this to _I Always Do_ through reviews. Hey, that rhymes!**


	2. Chapter 2

_"You ready?" she asked._

 _"Not one bit."_

 _Sally chuckled and straightened her son's tie. "You'll be fine Percy. I really should be helping out the bride, you know?"_

 _"But Mom," Percy whined, "I don't even know even know what socks to where with my pants!"_

 _"How are you still such a baby?"_

 _"Because you raised me that way," he said, kissing her cheek. She laughed again and cupped his face. "I'm proud of you, and you know your dad is too, right?"_

 _Percy broke out into a childish smile, hugging Sally. "Of course I do, Mom."_

 _"Now let's get out there! I'd be surprised if she wasn't already waiting for you at the altar!"_

* * *

 _Percy stood in front of the crowd, twiddling his thumbs nervously. Music started to play, and he turned to see a beautiful, young woman walking down the aisle in a wedding gown. Her curly blonde hair was braided and fell along her shoulder. His eyes met her's as she continued down with her father, Frederick Chase at her side._

 _She moved in front of Percy and smiled. Smiling back, he listened to the officiant carry out the ceremony. They exchanged their vows, never looking away from the other._

 _"Do you Percy Jackson, take Annabeth Chase, to be your partner in life and sharing your path; equal in love, a mirror for your true self, promising to honor and cherish, through good times and bad, until death do you part?"_

 _"I do." He grinned at Annabeth and mouthed the word "always."_

 _"And do you Annabeth Chase, take Percy Jackson, to be your partner in life and sharing your path; equal in love, a mirror for your true self, promising to honor and cherish, through good times and bad, until death do you part?"_

 _"I do." She grinned back at him and mouthed the same word._

 _Grover approached them with the rings in hand then nodded to Percy. The two of them placed their rings on each other's fingers and repeated after the officiant._

 _"And now, by the power vested in me by the State of New York, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."_

 _Percy wasted no time pulling Annabeth into a kiss, holding on tightly to her. "I love you, Wise Girl."_

 _"I love you more, Seaweed Brain."_

 _"Not possible."_

* * *

I opened my eyes to see my house's ceiling rather than her face. Shoving my hand into my nightstand's drawer, I found what I was looking for. Her ring attached itself to mine and I pulled it out to stare at it. I had them magnetized so they'd always find each other. God I was a sap, but no matter how much I wanted to chuck both of them into the ocean, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I always wore my ring on a chain around my neck and put it on when I was alone. It was the only reminder of the person I used to be.

 _You can't do business with her. She's bringing up memories we buried a long time ago. End it._

Closing my hands around the wedding band, I shut my eyes, doing my best to forget.

 _Classic horror movie scene. I drove through a secluded neighborhood that was supposedly a shortcut when my car engine decided to die. This "neighborhood" didn't seem to have more than three houses and the last one I'd seen was at least five miles back. Pulling out my phone, I try to make a call, but what do you know? No signal. So, I trudged ahead and stumbled upon a house with a long driveway leading up to an old fashioned mansion on the hilltop._

"Well, let's see what psycho murderer lives up there," I said to myself. In about a minute, I reached the front door and pressed the doorbell. I leaned up against the wall and looked down at my feet, noticing a package by the door. Reading the package's label, I felt the blood drain from my face.

 _Worse than a murderer._

I swiveled around and began to walk away from the door, muttering the words "not tonight" under my breath repeatedly.

"Annabeth?"

 _Too late._

"What are you doing here?" I slowly turned around to see Percy scratching the back of his head groggily, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. For some reason, he jammed his left hand into his pocket and resumed scratching with the other hand.

"My car engine died about a half mile back and I came up here to see if you'd jumpstart it." Percy shrugged and motioned for me to come in, still keeping his hand in his pocket. "Let me get the cables."

I followed him into his garage and waited for him to finish rummaging through piles of bags. "Here it is!" He yanked out a duffel bag, throwing it to the side.

Percy walked over and stood in front of me and I rubbed my arm uncomfortably. "Behind you," he said blankly. I tilted my head in confusion, making him sigh and reach over me. The garage door began to open after Percy pulled away.

"Oh, the garage opener was behind me," I said, trying my best not to sound completely stupid. He raised his eyebrows and gave me a half smile. "Duh, Wi- Annabeth." I looked down and tapped my foot, mentally kicking myself. "Uh-oh," Percy said, pointing outside. "That wasn't there before."

"Oh come on." Rain. It had to start raining.

"You know what? It's really late, you should just stay the night."

"What?" Did he actually just say that?

"I said that you should stay the night," he said it slowly like he was explaining it to a three-year-old. "Annabeth, we're technically still _married_. I'm sure you can survive one night under my roof." There was a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"All right... Thanks, I guess."

He rolled his eyes and stepped back into the house. Yup, still an asshole.

* * *

 _WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING? How about I just invite her to stay the night? Wouldn't that be such a great idea? You're trying to forget, remember?_

"Do you want something to eat?" I asked as we walked into the kitchen

"I'm good," she responded, keeping her distance. Unconsciously, I walked behind her and helped her take off her jacket, hanging it up on the coatrack. "You walked all the way here?"

"No, I flew," she responded sarcastically. There she was! Good old sarcastic Annabeth. I was wondering how long it would take her to be rude. I ran my hand through my hair and pressed the other against the counter. Her eyes drifted down to my hand and caught the wedding band, still wrapped around my ring finger. "Is that-"

I quickly shoved my hand into my pocket. "No!" She moved over to me and gently pulled my hand out of my pocket, running her hand over the ring. "Percy..." Holding onto my hand she moved her other to my shoulder.

 _Too close. She's getting too close!_

I caved into my thoughts and jerked away, placing my hand back in my pocket. "The guest bedroom's down the hall, third door to the right. Good night." I turned around and rushed back up to my room, shutting the door behind me. Ripping the band off my finger, I grabbed her's off my nightstand and went to the balcony.

My grip tightened around them and I winded my arm back, preparing to throw them. But I didn't. I just couldn't. Slowly, I sunk down against the railing and pressed my fist to my head. Why the hell did I still love her?

 _You don't! You do not love Annabeth Chase! She never would understand you and she never did._

But she did, at least she used to. What's stopping me from letting her in? I didn't even know, but I couldn't get close to her as much as I couldn't throw away the rings. I opened up my hands and looked at the two bands.

"She wouldn't be happy with me anyways..."

* * *

My mind was spinning. He was still wearing his ring, two years after we split. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel somewhat good. If he still wore it around, why did he block me out?

 _No, Annabeth. You tried for three years. If he wants you back, it's his turn to step up._

I buried my face into the pillow and tried to flush out the memories.

* * *

 **A/N: I added some stuff from I Always Do. More drama and feels on the way.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So I never officially said if I was or wasn't linking I Always Do to this fic, so here it is. I did! And I love how it turned out! It just adds to the drama and all that jazz. You don't really need to read the previous, because it explains everything you need to know in this. If you want, you can go back and read it or you can just continue on with this one. Tell me what you think in the reviews :)**

* * *

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock and rolled over to turn it off.

 _6:00 a.m. Time to get the day started._

Forcing myself out of bed, I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a shirt and jacket. I began to walk out of my room when my brain stopped me.

 _You know she's still here, right?_

Right. I grabbed a chain off my nightstand and strung my ring around it, placing it around my neck. Quietly, I made my way to the front door with a pair of running shoes in hand.

 _Running isn't going to help... Just saying._

I ignored myself as I plugged my earbuds into my phone and blasted the music.

 _Ha, nice try. I'm still here. We're still here? You're still here? Your voice is still here! There we go! By the way, I'm only trying to help you, but that other part of you is ignoring me._

Shutting the door, I started my run, trying to drown out everything that was going on in my head.

* * *

Okay, he left the house, so I have at least half an hour to snoop around.

I watched him close the door, then proceeded upstairs to his room. His house really was beautiful. It was high-end, but didn't feel too gaudy. Something bumped into my leg, making me gasp.

 _Just a table. Relax..._

At the end of the hallway, was a set of double doors, which probably led to the master bedroom. "Found you," I said to myself as I opened a door and stepped in. His room was mostly empty except for an unused closet to the side, a dresser, and a bed with a nightstand on each side. It didn't seem like much, but it that didn't keep me from looking around. I started with the closet, only to find nothing. The dresser only had clothes, so I walked over to a nightstand and opened the top drawer.

My eyes fell on a silver band, resting on a stack of pictures. Gingerly, I picked it up and held it in the palm of my hand. He still had my wedding ring.

* * *

 _Annabeth sat on the couch, hardly paying attention to the TV as she waited for Percy to come home. The front door opened and he stepped in quietly. "Hey."_

 _She looked away from the TV and forced a smile. "Hey."_

 _"Sweetie, I know that tomorrow's our anniversary, but..." He reached up and scratched his head._

 _"But what?" Annabeth crossed her arms._

 _"I have a business conference... We leave for LA tomorrow," he said, rubbing his ring nervously._

 _"How long have you known about this?"_

 _Percy sighed and sat down next to Annabeth. "Three weeks."_

 _"So you decide to tell me the night before you leave?" He reached over and put his arm around her shoulder. "Annabeth, you have to understand. It's a meeting with some foreign investors. The business really needs this."_

 _"The business needs it? It needs this? Percy you run a multi-million dollar company! What more do you need?"_

 _"See this is why I didn't want to tell you! I knew you'd overreact!" He yelled, standing up in front of her._

 _"I'm overreacting? Do you know what tomorrow is? Tomorrow makes it three years! I've tried to make this marriage work for three, damn, years!"_

 _"How can you be so fucking selfish, Annabeth? Not everything is about you!"_

 _"You're right! It's not about me, it's about us! And you clearly can't see that!" Annabeth ran her hands through her hair. "Percy, I love you, but I can't wait for you forever. Ever since you started that business, I've waited. I waited and waited and waited and waited! I was just hoping that one day I'd wake up and I'd see that look in your eyes. That little sparkle that you used to have, but I never saw it! If you leave for that conference, I won't be here when you get back. I'm done, Percy. I can't put up with this anymore."_

 _For a moment, a look of hurt appeared his face, but vanished as he stormed off. In the morning, he packed up his things and left without looking back. A week later when he came home, he found his apartment empty. The only thing that was left that belonged to Annabeth was her ring, sitting on the coffee table._

* * *

I placed the band back inside the nightstand and picked up the photographs. Some of them were from our wedding, others were when we were dating. I gasped as I came across a picture of us on the beach. Percy's arm wrapped around her shoulder, both of them smiling goofily at the camera.

 _First date..._

He told me that's when he fell in love with me. I wonder when he stopped.

"Find anything interesting?" Percy's voice shocked me out of my thoughts. I closed his nightstand and turned around.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be nosy," I lied.

As I began to walk past him, he caught my arm. "You're probably wondering why I still have all of that stuff," he said softly.

I stared at his hand on my arm and gulped. "Yeah."

He smiled and let go of me. "I guess I couldn't bring myself to throw it out... Anyways, now that you're awake, we can go ahead and jumpstart your car if you're ready to leave. You don't have to go, but..."I didn't know why he was dodging the subject, but I wasn't going to be the one to try and fix our relationship.

"It's the weekend, I can stay a bit longer," I said.

His smile widened and he crossed his arms, and I realized he wasn't wearing his ring anymore. "Come on. Let's get you some breakfast." Through his shirt, I saw the faint outline of a ring on his chest. "What's that?" I asked, gesturing at the thin chain hanging from his neck.

"It's nothing," he responded as he pulled his shirt over it.

* * *

I wanted to tell her, I really did, but every time to subject came up, I dodged it. She was trying to give me a chance to talk to her and I did nothing. Only after I waved goodbye and watched her drive off did I finally say what if been holding in for years.

"I still love her. I'm still in love with Annabeth Jackson."


	4. Chapter 4

"Mr. Jackson?" Denise asked from her desk in the corner of the office. I sighed and massaged my head. What the hell was wrong with that woman? "Denise, how many times am I going to have to tell you this? I do not like to be called Mr. Jackson! Not even when I have white hair and have to be spoon-fed. My point is... DON'T CALL ME MR. JACKSON!"

"Right, Percy, I just wanted to ask if you were okay." Her eyes were filled with worry and I couldn't help but feel guilty for being so harsh.

"I'm fine. Why are you asking?"

"Well, when we walked through the parking garage, and you didn't flirt with a single girl, and we passed by, like, six. Also, you keep taking really deep breaths and running your hands through your hair. It doesn't take an expert to notice that you're not feeling right." She's perceptive, I'll give her that, or maybe I just wasn't being very subtle.

"I said I'm fine, Denise. Go organize files or something." I swiveled my chair around to stare through the glass wall behind my desk, providing a view of the city.

 _Still not as pretty as New York._

Denise walked over behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's just the architect firm we're working with," I said, trying to get her off my back.

"I have a feeling it's a little more than that. What happened with you and Ms. Chase?" I wanted to yell at Denise for saying her name again, but there was something about her genuine worry that stopped me.

 _I give up. I'm going to tell her._

"Well, for one, Ms. Chase is still technically Mrs. Jackson." She frowned as she processed the information, then her eyes grew wide under her glasses. "You're married?" Denise whispered as if someone would hear if she said it in a normal voice.

"Five years, sweetheart."

"What? Did you guys have one of those Vegas weddings and never bother to get a divorce?" I laughed, imagining if that really was the case. "I wish it was that simple," I replied, leaning back in my chair.

"So what happened?"

"Well, we dated for three and a half years, got married, then split up after another three."

"But you never got a divorce?"

I grinned and pulled out my ring out from under my shirt. "Nope."

"Do you _want_ to get a divorce?"

 _Do I?_

Looking down, I held the ring out in front of me. Wait was I actually telling _Denise_ about this? And did I just show her my wedding band? "No," I blurted out. I just told her something I'd been hiding for the past two years. What. The. Hell.

"Then why don't you talk to her?"

 _Too late to turn back now._

"I don't know..." My eyes began to burn, and I quickly turned away from her so she wouldn't see. Denise put her arm around my shoulder and lightly patted my arm. "Do you still love her?"

 _Damnit. Here come the tears._

"More than anything." I felt tears begin to well up and motioned for her to go away. "Can I be alone for a little bit," I said shakily.

"Yeah, sure." She squeezed my shoulder reassuringly and let herself out.

This whole thing was making me a mess. Pulling open my desk drawer, I grabbed a bottle of scotch I kept there for moments like this. I leaned back and closed my eyes after taking a long swig.

 _Now I remember why I flirt with other people. It helps me forget about my freaking wife._

* * *

 _Percy walked into his apartment, beat after another day of work. Hearing a noise in the kitchen, he slowly moved towards it._

 _"Hello?" He moved around the door and saw Annabeth, standing behind the counter._

 _"Hurry up! I'm almost done cooking!" His face lit up as he rushed over to her, peppering her face with kisses. "When'd you get here?" He asked, grinning wildly. Annabeth laughed as she threw her arms around his neck. "My plane landed an hour ago."_

 _"Babe, why didn't you tell me?"_

 _"I wanted it to be a surprise!" He picked her up bridal style and leaned in for another kiss._

 _"God, I missed you," he said as he pressed his forehead against hers. "I wish I got to do this after every single day of work."_

 _"I do too, Percy."_

 _"So how've you been, Mrs. Jackson?"_

 _"I thought we got over that on our honeymoon,_ Mr. Jackson _," Annabeth said , humoring her husband. Percy spun her around and kissed her again. "Why would I ever want to get over it? You know I love it when you call me that!"_

 _"Percy, put me down. The food's going to burn!" Annabeth said before punching Percy on his chest._

 _"I'm sorry, I don't know who you're talking to."_

 _"All right! Put me down... Mr. Jackson." He lowered her down and wrapped his arms around her waist as she turned off the stove. "Why didn't you just say so?"_

 _"So, just because you're married means you don't have a first name anymore?"_

 _"Got that right, Mrs. Jackson."_

 _"When will you stop calling me that?" Annabeth asked while placing her hands on Percy's. He moved his hands around hers and pressed their rings together, making them attach to each other. "Only when you stop being my wife."_

 _"So never?"_

 _"Never."_

* * *

"Never," I mumbled as I began to wake up. Thanks to her, I couldn't even sleep in peace. "Denise?" I looked around groggily and found a note on my desk.

 _Came back and saw you sleeping. Decided to let you wake up on your own. Good luck with that whole thing and stuff!_

 _-Denise_

Rubbing my eyes, I turned to see that it was already night. Great, I spent the whole day dreaming instead of working. There wasn't much to work on, but something was still stopping me from thinking about Annabeth.

I picked up my phone and stared at her name on my contacts list. My finger hovered over the call icon, debating whether to press it or not. Just as I began to turn my phone off, it began to buzz.

 _Annabeth Jackson_

Before I figured out what I was doing, I answered and held the phone up to my ear. "Hey, Annabeth. What's up?"

 _Seriously? How old are you? 12?_

"Hi, Percy. I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I just wanted to go over some ideas with you for the interior design. You know, just so I don't come up with something you completely hate.

"Yeah, that'd be perfect," I said, smiling at the sound of her voice. Closing my eyes, I listened to her talk about the lobby's setup, where the offices would be placed, and a bunch of other stuff I didn't understand. I hadn't even noticed that she finished.

"Sound good? Remember it's just a general idea. You can make adjustments and-"

"I love it, Annabeth," I said through a yawn.

"Oh, well that's great. I'll let you get back to whatever you're doing right now. Good night, Percy."

"Good night." Hanging up my phone, I laid my head down on the desk. "See you later, Mrs. Jackson."


	5. Chapter 5

_What if I'd done things differently..._

I rolled over in bed, letting my imagination run rampant.

 _What if instead of leaving, I stayed with her. What if we fixed our marriage. The cost of our relationship was an unimportant deal with a couple of investors, and I can tell you this: it was not worth it at all. Becoming richer than my dad ever was wasn't worth it. None of this was worth it._

 _If I stayed, we could've lived together comfortably. We could've bought a nice house and had kids. We'd have a son that'd drive her crazy as much as I did, but our daughter would be the person that kept her sane._

 _Of course our son would look and act exactly like me. We'd go to the beach together and eventually I'd teach him to surf. I'd have to teach him in secret because Annabeth would murder me if she figured out that I brought him anywhere close to water._

 _Our daughter on the other hand would be her mom's duplicate. She'd have the same beautiful stormy grey eyes and curly blonde hair. She would talk for hours on end about books she read, and her mom would go right along with her. I'm sure she'd adopt Annabth's ocean-hating ideology and lecture her brother on the safety issues of the sea._

 _Our kids would always be at each other's throats, just like their parents. But at the end of the day, we'd all sit down on the same couch and fight over what movie to watch. The boy's team would always win because our combined puppy dog faces couldn't be resisted. But then I'd choose a documentary, because I loved my wife._

 _After the movie was finished, I'd carry our kids to their bedrooms and kiss them good night. Then Annabeth and I would head into our room and she'd lie down right next to me. It wouldn't matter if I was rich or living from paycheck to paycheck. I wouldn't trade it for the world._


	6. Chapter 6

_You're actually going to do it... I can't believe that you're actually doing this right now._

My heart was pounding in my chest as I pushed through the doors of Chase Architecture's lobby. I walked past the front desk and headed for the elevator.

"Excuse me, sir, you can't go up there unless you work here, and you certainly don't," a middle-aged woman said, stepping in my way.

"Relax, my wife is up there," I said while trying to move past her.

"And who exactly is your wife?"

"Your boss. Now please move over so I can talk to her!"

"Sir, I'm a security guard. I have many bosses. You're going to have to be a little more specific."

"You need me to be more specific? Okay, I'm married to Annabeth Jackson and she runs this firm," I told her, beginning to lose my patience.

"Annabeth Jackson? Ms. Chase is not married," she pulled out her walkie-talkie and said something involving backup.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and opened up our wedding photos. "You can go ahead and take a look at some pictures of our _wedding_!" Holding my phone to her face, I swiped through the album. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go fix my marriage."

She grabbed onto my arm as I tried to walk past her. "Sir, you need to stand down."

I gritted my teeth and called Annabeth. "Hi, sweetheart. You're on speaker and I'm trying to get past security in your lobby."

"What? Percy, I'm in a meeting!" Annabeth hissed through the phone.

"Great, great. I just need you to clear up with officer..." My eyes moved down to her name tag. "Soteria- huh, interesting name- that we are in fact husband and wife. Apparently wedding photos weren't enough proof for her."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Just say it please."

"Fine! We're married! Now stop-" I hung up and gave her a smug grin. I would've stayed to enjoy her dumbfounded expression a little longer, but I had to get back the love of my life.

I pressed the button for the elevator and stepped in. "Well, it's been great, officer! Gotta run!"

 _Wait, she's in a meeting. So what floor?_

I skimmed over the massive amount of floors and clicked the top one, assuming the conference room would be on the same floor as her office. The doors began to slide close, but someone's arm caught them. A familiar redhead stood outside, looking very out of breath. "Forty-fifth floor. Down the hallway to the left."

"Thanks, Rachel," I said pressing 45 rather than 60.

 _That was her name! Rachel!_

The elevator doors closed and I stood idly waiting for them to open back up. After what seemed like an eternity, it reached the floor I was headed to and I walked out. "Left," I told myself as I hurried to the conference room.

I came across a door with a plaque and the words _Conference Room_ written on it. Without worrying who else would hear, I began to knock repeatedly on the door until Annabeth pulled it open. "What the hell, Percy?" she whisper-yelled.

I guided her back into the room filled with at least ten people. "Annabeth, I have to tell you something..."

"If this is about business, it can wait until after my meeting."

"Trust me, it's not about business." I took a deep breath and held her hands in mine. Her eyes darted back to the other people in the room, watching us intently. "Don't mind them, because I don't care who hears me say this. Annabeth Jackson, I am still very much in love with you. In fact, I never stopped loving you."

"Percy-"

"Let me finish first... please." She nodded her head. "There's not one day that I don't regret leaving for that business conference. I tried to lie to myself that I didn't miss anything, but I had to face the facts. I hate everything about my life because everything in my life doesn't include you. If I could turn back time and stay instead of leaving, I would in a heartbeat. I was the world's crappiest husband, but I was too selfish to even see it.

"When I came back and saw your ring on the table, I never touched it. I left it in the same exact spot so it could remind me exactly what I lost. And this?" I pulled out the chain from under my shirt. "You asked me about it before, but I didn't tell you. So, here's the explanation. The day I found out you left, I tried to make it without wearing my ring. Long story short, I couldn't do it!

"So, Annabeth," I said, pulling out her wedding band from my pocket and putting on my own, "you have every right to throw this ring out the window and be done with our relationship, but please just give it another chance. You know, divorce scares the shit out of me. Whenever you call, I'm terrified that it's so you can ask me to sign the papers. I'm not afraid to lose money in a divorce. I don't care if I lose the business. I scared because it means that I'll lose _you_ forever."

Annabeth stared at the ring and sighed. "Percy, you can't come in here and say things you don't really mean, then go back to normal as soon as I take you back."

"I mean every single word that I'm saying! I love you! And I never stopped and I never will! I could care less if I was poor as dirt so long as I have you. I was so blinded by my ambition that I never saw that I had everything I could ever want. I was miserable for the past two years of my life. It didn't matter that I became a billionaire! I honestly would set fire to every dollar I earned if it meant I could be with you." I hadn't even noticed that both she and I were crying.

"You better tell the truth when I ask you this," Annabeth said through sobs. "Do you actually mean what you're telling me?"

" _Every_ word."

She wiped her eyes and laughed. "Then give me the damn ring!" I laughed with her as I picked her up and spun her around.

"I've waited too long to do this," I said, leaning in to kiss her. We broke apart after hearing our "audience" begin to clap for us. "I'm sorry, but the meeting's over," Annabeth said cheerfully, "I have some catching up to do with my husband."

I pulled her outside by her hand and lead her back to the elevator. We stepped in and as soon as the door closed she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. The floors went by much too fast, taking us to the bottom floor in what seemed like a second.

"Hold on for a second," I said and kissed her on the cheek. Still holding her hand, I pulled out my phone and made a call. "Hey, Denise? Clear my schedule for the rest of the week. I'm going to be spending it with my wife."

"Sure thing, Percy," she responded.

"You're going to hate me for this, but from now on, I go by Mr. Jackson." I hung up and pulled Anabeth in for another kiss. "Where do you want to go for our week off?"

"How about we just spend it at home," she said, leaning against my chest.

"As long as you're with me, I'm fine with anything."

"I love you, Seaweed Brain."

"I love you more, Wise Girl."

"Not possible."

* * *

 **A/N: I just closed up the I Always Do series D: This kind of makes me sad, but oh well. I'll be out with an epilogue soon. Thank you to the readers who made it this far!**


	7. Epilogue

"So do you have to pay me if you get here?" Poseidon asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"No dad, you have to buy the property," Percy answered.

"This is too complicated, Percy!"

"Mom, Dad, it's Monopoly! How difficult can it be?"

"Very difficult," Sally and Poseidon said at the same time. Annabeth laughed at their little family argument before making a suggestion. "How about we just play a different game?"

"But I was winning, babe!"

"You were winning against two people who don't know how to play."

"That still counts as winning." Percy pouted and crossed his arms. "I'm going to boycott the next game."

"Do what you want, sweetie. Do you guys want to play a guessing game?" The older couple gladly pushed away the Monopoly board, giving Annabeth her answer. "Percy, you sure you don't want to play?"

"Yes," he spat, with his best angry face.

"Suit yourself," she said, shrugging. "All right, I'll go first. Can you two guess who just found out she was pregnant today?" Sally sucked in her breath and unconsciously grabbed Poseidon's arm, while Percy shot around to face his wife. "I'll give you a hint: she's married to someone in this room."

"Well it's not me!" Sally said, pursing her lips.

Percy's mouth hung open. "Annabeth, are you pregnant?" She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I thought you said you weren't playing."

"Babe," he said, a smile spreading across his face, "Am I going to be a dad?" Annabeth gave him a sheepish grin and nodded. "You're not kidding," he said as he slowly stood up and pushed back his hair. "You're not kidding..."

"Are you okay, Percy?" Annabeth asked, getting up behind him.

"Am I okay?" He pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her. "I'm great! I'm amazing! This is amazing! Annabeth, we're going to be parents!"

"I didn't think you'd be so excited."

"Are you serious? I couldn't be happier! I'm going to be a dad!"

* * *

"Hold on, _two_?" Annabeth asked. She looked at her equally stunned husband. "He did say two, right?"

The doctor took another look at the screen. "Yep, two little babies in there. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. You're having twins." His eyes narrowed as he leaned closer to the monitor. "Is that another one?"

"Holy crap triplets?" Annabeth looked about ready to faint.

"Oh wait, no. The screen's just dirty. Sorry 'bout that!"

"Babe," Percy said, grabbing his wife's shoulders, "WE'RE HAVING TWINS! We're going to buy two of everything, and we'll have two cribs in the house! Oh, and you can hold one and I'll hold the other and maybe we can have a competition on which of us is the better parent, which of course, I'll win! This is going to be so awesome!" Annabeth raised her eyebrows as he finished his rant. "Excuse me for a moment." Her husband calmly walked outside and shut the door, which didn't really help because they still heard him scream, "I'M HAVING TWINS!" from outside.

"You have a... um... enthusiastic husband," the doctor said.

"You have no idea... but since I've been pregnant for a while, can you tell what gender they are?"

The doctor scratched his head and looked back at the screen. "I was going to wait for your husband to come back, but it looks like you've got two boys."

"Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm sorry, no."

Annabeth threw her head back and massaged her temples. "I'm going to have two more Percy's."

* * *

"Should I even ask?"

Percy stood in the kitchen like a deer in headlights with their two sons in his arms. "Umm, well Alex and Perce wanted to bake some stuff and when I was mixing the batter, Alex needed a diaper change, so I put Perce down and while I was changing the diaper, he got to the batter and spilled it everywhere... Then I kind of let them crawl all over the place covered in batter because they looked like they were having fun."

"And why are you covered in it?"

"I joined in because I was bored." Her eyes drifted down to her sons, who both looked like they knew they were in trouble. "You're just lucky you two look adorable right now," she said to the babies, "or I would've wrung your dad's neck."

"I don't look adorable?" Percy asked.

"You know, you'd look so cute once you scrub every spot in this kitchen. Now give me the kids so I could wash them." She walked forward and held out her arms, making Percy surrender their children to her. "Hold on, Annabeth," Percy said, "you got something right there." He wiped his batter-covered hand across her face. "All better."

"Perseus Jackson, you have five seconds to run before I smash your skull." He crossed his arms smugly. "You're going to chase me when you're holding the kids?" Patting her on the cheek, he turned around to clean the kitchen.

"I hate you."

"Oh, come on. You and I both know that you don't."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Sleep with your eyes open tonight, sweetie."

* * *

"The kids are out," Annabeth said, rubbing her eyes. She crashed onto the couch next to Percy and yawned. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. "I made you an apology gift... so you don't murder me tonight."

"Aww that's so sweet, Percy."

He got up, leading her to the kitchen. "Ta-da!"

"You already used the apology cake card," Annabeth said, looking at the small cake that sat in the fridge.

"This isn't an apology cake, sweetheart," he replied as he handed it to her. "You get to throw it in my face."

"And you'll clean up the mess?"

"I'll clean up the-"

She cut him off by shoving the cake in his face. "Now get to work." Annabeth turned to leave, but Percy held her arm and spun her around. "You still hate me?"

"Not anymore."

"Great," he said before leaning in to kiss her.

"What good does your apology do if I have cake on my face again, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth mumbled against his lips.

"Well it got me a kiss..."

"I hope our kids don't turn out to be as dumb as you are." Percy laughed and rested his chin on her head. "I love, Annabeth."

"I love you too, Percy."

The sound of both the twins crying interrupted their moment, making both of them groan. Suddenly, Annabeth's head perked up after remembering something..

"1,2,3, not it!" Annabeth yelled.

"Not it- Damnit!"

* * *

 **A/N: And we're done! Thanks for being such great readers! I named the kids Alex for Alcaeus and Perce is short for Perses. Both of those names were names of Perseus' sons in Grek mythology.**


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